Elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is associated with increased risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and myocardial infarction (MI). Much of the insight into LDL metabolism has been gained through the study of Mendelian disorders of lipid metabolism. Genome-wide associations studies (GWAS) are now being used to identify novel genes and loci that contribute to variations in LDL-C levels, and they have identified the SORT1 gene as an important modulator of LDL-C levels and ASCVD risk. Mechanistic studies in mice and cell culture also suggest that the SORT1 gene is an important regulator of lipoprotein metabolism; however, these studies disagree on the directionality of the effect of Sort1 expression on plasma lipids and the mechanism for the lipid changes. Here we review the identification of the SORT1 locus as a modulator of LDL-C levels and ASCVD risk and the first mechanistic studies that explore the role of Sortilin in lipid metabolism.

Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, 11-166 Translational Research Center, 3400 Civic Center Blvd, Building 421, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-5158, USA, astrong@mail.med.upenn.edu.